Method and apparatus for making articles of plastic material



Sept l2, 1944 F. J. -MacDoNALD 2,358,176 I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKINGy ARTICLES OF PLASTIC MATERIAL Sept 12, 1944 nF. .1. MacDoNALD 2,358,176

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES OF PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed May 22, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ffy- Sept 12, 1944- F. .1. MacDoNALD METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES OF PLASTIC MATERIAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 2,2, 1940 if -I Sept 12, l944-` F. J. MacDoNALn 2,358,176

METHOD AND APPARATUS FO R MAKI'NG ARTICLES 0F PLASTIC) MATERIAL Filed May 22, 1940 5 sn'eets-sheet 4 w ZnL/-ZEL -f 23? REN- J :77.755170275//2 5 757 *E7 MM5-L Sept l2, 1944. F. J. MacDoNALD 2,358,176

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES OI' PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed May 22, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 502 f7 "55 Zz-7135 Z7 :74.7, /70 E /0/ 17 /80 /05 f A005 I 5,567 17s /f /35 m f if, F- .43/ f 403 iii j0` 405/0 423 427` 405\/r.5\/`\ l 404 j l ////408 428' l if? a 4/5, 40 mma @D 4/9 f f @L/1.7755270275@ 02 Patented Sept. 12, Y1944- ,Nr erica i METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES F PLASTIC MATEBLQL Frank J. MacDonald, rookline, Mass., assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation ci' New York Appiicatio May 22, 1940, serial' No. 336,634

.portions or perforations therein without the use of cutting dies or molds and to provide such materialA continuously without interruption and to simultaneously unite the various colored portions thereof as they are formed without waste of material. Because of the difficulty of attaining suiilcient pressure on the plastic material, the inadequate facilities for removing entrapped air from the plastic material, and the shrinkage of the plastic in cooling, and incomplete filling of the cavity, such operations heretofore have not been performed satisfactorily on the ordinary rubber calender. The construction of the ordinary calender has also been such that the changing of rolls has been diiiicult and the construction of accurately machined rolls having forming grooves or cavities has been impracticable, while accurately fine sible.

Rolls engraved in intaglio for printing with iiuid inks have not been suitable for handling' stiffer plastic material necessary to the production of relatively thick deposits and have `not been suitable for forming highly attractive articles or strips of multi-colored material and decorating strips of irregular surface contour.

, An object of the invention is to make it possible to produce `in stiffer or more viscous rubber and other plastic materials a f ine quality of detailed design and ornamentation comparable .with results heretofore obtainable only by procedures of intaglio printing with substances of adjustment has been virtually imposrelatively great iuidity. A further object is to-form the material underf high pressure in cavities of a, movable member without malforming the deposit as a result of the movement. i

Further objects are to provide these results by means of rotating'rolls, torprovide continuously articles of complicated form Without excessive waste; to effect accurate and simultaneous assembly of parts 'of different colors; to 'provide Vuniformity and solidity of composition; to provide articles free from surface blemishesyand occluded air bubbles; td provide eiicient apparatus for forming such articles; to provide means for accurately registering the separately formed parts of the article in assembled relation; to

provide wide latitude of adjustment of the forming apparatus; to provide for synchronizing the formation of the parts of the article; and to provide adaptability of the apparatus to the manufacture of many different'articles.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings Fig. 1 is anelevation partly in section of one form of apparatus corresponding to the inven- A tion.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the forming rolls thereof, othe'r parts being broken away.

Fig.l3 is a cross-sectional detail view of one of the rolls taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig4 is a similar view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a. plan view of a portion of a strip produced by the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 4.

form of the apparatus.. only essential parts of the forming mechanism being shown, other'parts being omitted. l

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of another form of apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 12 is a rear elevation of the same.

Fig. 13 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 14 is a detail cross-sectional view thereof taken on line M-Il of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a. cross-sectional view of the nicklng roll taken von line ..l5|5 of Fig. 11x.

Fig. 16 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus taken on line |6-I-6 of Fig. 10- and showing the apparatus as set up for forming' the article of Fig. 18.

Fig. 17 is an elevation showing the essential forming rolls of the apparatus of Fig. 1 6 asv used in forming the strip of Fig .18,-cther parts of th apparatus being omitted.

` Fig. 18 is a plan view of a portion of the strip of material produced by the apparatus of Figs. 16

and 17.

Fig. 23 is a view similar to Fig. 17 showing the forming rolls as used for forming the strip of Figs. 21 and 22.

Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the forming rolls of the apparatus asset up to produce the strip illustrated in Fig. 25, other parts of the apparatus being broken away. n

Fig. 25 is a plan view of a portion of the strip produced by the apparatus of Fig. 24.

Fig. 26 is a cross-section thereof taken on line 26-26 of'Fig. 25.

Fig. 271s a face view of the forming rousof the apparatus of Fig. 24, other parts being omitted. Fig. 28 is a detailI view showing the forming rolls for providing the strip illustrated in Fig. 29, other parts being broken away.

Fig. 29 is a plan view of a portion of a strip formed by the apparatus of Fig. 28.

Fig. 30 is aldetail view showing a single forming roll and a cooperating forming member suitable for forming plastic strips or threads of rectangular cross-section.

Fig. 31 is a similar view showing another forming roll and its cooperating forming elementsuitable for formingv plastic strips or threads of circular cross section.

Fig. 32 is a similar view showing a plain face roll and its cooperating element as adapted to extrude threads Aof various cross sections.

Fig. 33 is a detail view of a pair of forming rolls and a cooperating forming element for forming a strip illustrated in Fig. 34, other parts being broken away. l

Fig. 34 is a, plan view of a portion of a strip as produced by the apparatus of Fig. 33.

Fig. 35 is a cross-sectional view of the strip taken on line 35-35 of Fig. 34.

Fig. 36 is a cross-sectional detail view of the speed changing mechanism taken on line 36--36 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 37 is a' detail sectional View of the planetary gear mechanism taken on line v3'I--3I of Fig. 36, parts being broken away.

Fig. 38 is a cross-sectional elevation of a modied form of the apparatus as used for forming nism strips of plastic material may be extruded 0f various cross-section or separate. articles of plastic material may be formed by deposits of plastic` material in cavities formed in the rolls of the apparatus and may be wholly or partially vulcanized or otherwise heat-treated in the same operatiom The basic principles of the invention may be more readily determined from an examination tions I'I. The roll I3 has a continuous meanderof the simple forms .of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. l to 9 of the drawings.

Referring to these drawings, and first to Fig. 1,

the apparatus comprises a pair of spaced frame members I0, only one of which is illustrated, and. between which are rotatably supported in parallel spaced relation, a forming roll II, an intermediate or transfer roll I2, and a second forming r`oll I3. These rolls are similar in construction to the rolls of a calender such as isused in the forming of sheet material from plasticssuch as rubber and other rubber-like materials and are driven in the directions indicated'by the arrows in Fig. 1 by suitable intermeshing gears, not shown.

The faces of the forming rolls II and I3 are 0f hardened material, such as tempered tool steel, and are formed with forming cavities I4 and I5 respectively, in their faces, corresponding to portions of a two-color strip tobe produced, such as the strip illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, where the base layer I6 is formed of one color with perforations I'I extending therethrough, and the portions I8 and I9 are formed of plastic material of a contrasting color and adhered thereto'.

For the purpose of forming such a strip, the roll I I which forms the base strip I6, is provided with a circumferential-groove I4 corresponding' in depth to the thicknessI of the layer I6 and in width to the desired Width thereof and "spaced pins 20 are inserted in spaced openings 2| in the face thereof at the bottom of the groove I4 and project flush with the face of the roll in order to displace the plastic material to form the perforaing cavity 22 formed in its face to form the strip I8 'and also has a series of spaced cavities 23 I 0 and engaging slideable journal boxes 21 in formed therein to provide the portions I9 of the strip. The transfer roll I2 need not be of hardened material and may be spaced slightly from rolls II and I3 and suitable mechanism may. be provided for adjusting the'rolls II and I3 toward and from the roll I2 as is usual in the construction of calenders.

For the purpose of filling the cavity in the roll Il, a pair of feeding rolls 24, 25 are mounted for rotative movement in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, adjacent the roll II and parallel thereto and these rolls` are driven by y gears, not shown, mounted on 'the ends of rolls 24, 25 and meshing with each other, the gear on roll 25 also engaging and being driven by a gear mounted on roll II. The feeding roll 25 isadjustable toward and away from the feed roll 24 and for this purpose adjusting screws 26 may be provided, threaded through the frame members which the roll 25 is rotatably mounted. The roll 24 is also preferably adjustable with relation to the roll II. The rolls 24 and 25 may be driven at the same speed but are preferably driven at a a faster surface speed than the roll II.

A shoe 28 is adjustably mounted on a bracket 29,ixed in the frame members I0 and comprises a'plate extending along-the face of the rolls sublstantially in contact, with the roll 25 and having lan inclined face 30 adjustable toward and away extending through the bracket 29, collars 32 and` 33 xed to the screw on either side of the bracket permitting rotation of thescrew with relation to aasaive .'I'he plastic material 34 is fed between the rolls 24 and 25. where occluded air is expressed therefrom, and becomes crowded into the cavity between rolls 24, 25 and II, and the stationary shoe 28. Due to the greater surface speed of the rolls 24 and 25 and restriction of flow of the plastic by reason of the presence ofthe shoe any remaining occluded air is'worked out of the plastic material and thecavities in the roll II are lled with plastic material free from occluded air and under high pressure. By adjusting the rolls 24 and 25 toward each other and by adjusting the shoe 28 toward the bite of the rolls II and 28, the pressure of the trapped material may be increased'and due to the inclined faceof the shoe the material is progressively crowded into t a narrowing passage, while at the same time the plastic material is agitated by the rollers and is kept constantly in motion. The space dened by the -faces of rolls 24, 28 and II, and shoe 28 serves as a pressure chamber to conne the plastic materialunder pressure and this pressure may be adjusted by varying the distance between rolls 24 and- 2i or by increasing their speed. Any materialescaping above the shoe 28" along theface of roll '25 is -returned tothe bank 34 at the feeding position while its pressure balances the pressure of material passing under the shoe to ll the article cavities. As the cavities in the roll II become filled 'they progress downwardly beyond the shoe -28 and where the shoe 28 is;forced into intimate engagement with the plain face of the roll II only the cavities will be lled-and suhstantially no excess material will remain onthe `faceoftherollIL By adjustment of the shoe 28 and of the rolls is eliminated and tendency to shrink vupon being removed from the apparatus is overcome. By increasing the compacting action the strip material vor articles upon being removed from the apparatus mayactually lincrease in length due to recovery as distinguished from the shrinkage ordinarily taking place in material which has been produced by a calendering machine so that by proper regulation of the pressure by adjustment of the feeding rolls and the shoe the material may be produced of accurate dimensions free from shrinkage or swelling.

ing shoes of different dimensions depending upon Athe type ofpla'stie material -to be operated upon.

Where the pressure is too low the cavities of the roll I I will not be completely filled and where the pressure is too high the plastic material will overfill the cavities and will splurt out through the cavities as they pass the shoe in undesirable strings and blobs of excess material. It is found that the best results are obtained when the speed of the feeding rolls is such and the rolls are at such a distance apart and the adjustment of the shoe is so regulated that the cavities passing the shoe are overlled to such an' extent that the face of the deposits is slightly convex; 'I'he adjustment will vary with the plasticity and temperature of the material and for regulating the tem-- perature all of therolls 'on the machine are hollow and are provided withV means notshown for vheating and cooling the rolls, such means being commonly employed on` calender rolls usedfor forming plastic material. In practice, only slight surplus pressure is required `to produce undistorted parts.- Similar feeding 4mechanism-comprising similarly arranged and adjusted feeding rolls 85, 38 and a similarly arranged landad-` the strip I8 and the portions I8 of plastic material of a contrasting color formed in the cavities of the roll I3 and'unites therewith lifting such material from the cavities of the roll I8 in forming a composite strip such as that illustrated in Fig. 5. By control of the temperatures of thesrespective rolls such transfer may be facilitated as is well known. in the art of `calendering plastic material; Certain materials will adhere more tenaciously with a cold roll than a' hot roll and vice versa.. The finished strip may be 'removedfrom the transfer roll I2 'by means of a conveyor belt 38 drivenat the same speed as the ,roll I2 and passing around a roller 40 rotatably mounted on the frame ofthe machine adv on the frame of the machine.

' To provide for removal of anyexcess material deposited on the face of roll II, a scraper blade 48 may beradjustably mouted on the. bracket 28 below the shoe 28 .andis adjustable toward and away from the roll Il by means of adjust- Y ing screws 44. A similar scraper blade 45 may Provisions are made as isusual m plastic wor ing machinery, for heating -the rolls and lother Vparts of the apparatus with which the plastic oftheslisalsoimportantandthedimensions vandarelil'ovidwithsteamandwaterconnec- 70 Theshape' of the shoe, particularly the singularity-of theV mwnnrespei-.ttothe surface ortneron'witn whichitmntactnmaybechangedbysubstitutbe mounted adjacent the roll I8 and is adjustableby means of screws 48 into engagement with the face of -the roll I3, whereas the feeding rolls 24, 28 provide a convenient means foi` `feeding plastic materials to the converging space between the shoe 28 and the roll I I. v

These feeding rolls 24, 25 may be eliminated with certain types of plastic material as in the modified form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 9 where the forming roll 50 has a forming cavity or groove 5I formed therein vand a shoe 52, is adjustabletoward the face of the roll as by an adjusting screw 58. In this form of the invention the shoe-52 has va lons curved face 84 spanning an arc of substantially and of a 'greater radius of curvaturethan the face ,of the the face of the roll a space converging in the direction of rotation of the roll. The plastic material 56 may bev fed into this space where its travel into the space is accelerated by contact with the face of the roll and retarded by drag of the arcuate face of the shoe so that the material is rolled into a constantly narrowing space and the hydrostatic pressure thereof constantly increases toward the heel of the shoe where the material is forced into the cavity of the roll under. surplus pressure while during such rolling movement all occluded air is expelled and the density of the material is increased.

As in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs.,1 to 4 a scraper bar 51 may be provided to contact with the face of the roll beyond the heel of the shoe to remove any undesirable excess material and a conveyor belt 58 passing about an idler roll 59 adjacent the forming roll 50 may be provided for conveying away the formed strip In the form of the apparatus illusmay be formed as a continuous strip comprising articles separated by connecting strips 60. It will be understood that the roll 50 corresponds to the roll f the apparatus of Fig. 1 and may be mounted in such apparatus' and heated and cooled and driven in the same manner as the roll The apparatus illustrated in Figs. to 37 illustrates a more universal type of apparatus embodying the invention and'referring-to these drawings the numerals 10, 1| designate a pair of spaced frame members which are mounted vertically upon a Asuitable foundation and are held in spaced relation by frame members 12, 13 and 14. Slidably mounted upon frame members 10 and 1| in a vertical direction near the upper ends thereof are supplementary frame members or carriages 15,A 16 and below these are a second pair of supplementary carriages 11, 18. For the l purpose of adjusting the upper frame members vertically with relation to the lower frame members to unite the parts formed by the means 4carried thereby, the frame members 10, 1| are formed with vertical clearance slots 19. A plurality of studs 80 extend through these slots and are xed to a spacer bar 8| at one end thereof and to a block 82 at the other end thereof (see Figs. 11 and 14). The spacer bar 8| is rigidly secured to the carriage members 15, 16. A pair of adjusting screws such as a screw 8.3 extend through bushings 84 at the top of the frames 10, 1| and their threaded ends engage in threaded openings-85 in the block 62. The bushings 84 are flanged above and below that part of th frame members through which they extend and clearance is provided about the bushings so that the block 82 may be moved horizontally to a certain extent. The adjusting screws, 83 have capstan bars 86 for. rotating them to adjust the carriage members 15, 16 in a vertical direction. For providing limited horizontal adjustment of the carriages 15, 16 adjusting screw 81 extends through a clearance opening 88 in the frame member 1|. The screw is horizontally mounted and the threaded portion engages a threaded opening in the block 82. The screw 81 has collars 89, 90 fixed thereto at each side of the opening 8.8 an .l also has handwheel 9| fixed thereto by which the screw may be rotated to adjust the block 82 in a horizontal direction limited b y the dimensions of the clearance opening 88.

The carriages 15, 16 have aligned bearinggopenshafts sz, sa are rotatably mounted, the-shafts extending horizontally and one above each other. Above the roll 93 -vertical slots 15a are providedthrough the carriages and roll supporting shafts 94, 95 extend therethrough above the rolls 92, 93, all of the roll shafts 92, 93, 94, 95 being parallel and having their axes preferably in a common vertical plane., Roll 94 is rotatably mounted in a pair of bearing members 96, one end of each of which is pivoted to a carriage 15 or 16 by a stud 91 and the other end of which is bifurcated and `engages over collar 98 on an adjusting screw a capstan bar |05.

The carriage members 11, 18 are similar to the carriage members 15, 16, except that they are rigidly secured to frame members 10, 1| and are provided with similar roll adjusting mechanism for rotatably supporting a series of roll shafts |06, |01, |08, |09, roll shafts |06 and |01 being rotatably mounted in bearings of these carriage members and roll |08 being rotatably mounted in bearing members ||0 adjustable by screws and roll |09 being rotatably mounted in bearing members ||2 adapted to be moved by rotation of screws I3, the mechanism for adjusting the rolls being the same as that for adjusting the rolls supported by the carriage members 15, 16 and the roll shafts being in the same plane as the roll shafts supported by the carriage members 15, v16. Mounted on'the top of the carriage members 11, 18 are a pair of housings ||4, ||5.

I which a roll supporting shaft ||6 extends, this shaft being rotatably mounted withv respect to the roll shaft ||6. Adjusting screws ||9 extend through the housings ||4, ||5 for the purpose of adjusting 'the roll ||8 toward and from the roll shaft ||6.

Each of the roll shafts heretofore described is adaptedto extend beyond the frame members 1| and there to support and drive a plastic manipulating roll removably mounted on the end of each shaft and for this purpose the ends of the shafts extending beyond the frame member are provided with tapered seats such as the seat |20 shown in Fig. 15 and beyond the seat the shaft is threaded as at |2| to engage a nut |22 which presses a washerY |23 against the roll to hold it on its tapered seat.

Referring to Fig. 10, these rolls, with the ex- -ception of the roll on shaft ||8, extend in vertical alignment and may be adjusted to come into contact with each other faceA to face and are designated by the numerals |24, |25, |26, |21, |26, |29, |30, |3|, -|32. The roll |33 is mounted on the end of shaft ||8 and is out of the plane of the other rolls but is adjustable into contact with the face of the roll |28. All of these rolls are easily removable and may be replaced by similar rolls for the production of different plasltic strips or articles.

For the-purpose ofdriving the upper set of 'rolls supported by the carriages 15, 16, shaft 94 is extended beyond the carriage 15 and a sprocket For the purpose of driving the rolls supportedv bythe fixed carriage members11, 18 shaft |88 is extended beyond carriage members 11 and is provided with a similar driving sprocket |4| fixed'` thereto and driven by chain |42 from a suitable source of power as hereinafter described and shafts |06, |01, |88, |09 are provided with driving pinions |43, |44, |45, |46 fixed thereto, respectively, and intermeshing with each other. The shaft ||6 has a gear |41 fixed thereto which meshes with gear |31 but-'does not engage gear |43, gear |41 being to one side of the train of gears |43 to |46 therebelow and gear|31 having a wider facel than the other gears so as to engage the gear |41. The arrangement is such that the rolls supported by the fixed carriages 11, 18 with the exception of rolls |28 and |33, are driven fromsprocket 4| and may be operated independently ofthe otherrrolls of the machine, and the rolls supported by the movable carriage mem-s bers 15, 16 may be driven in unison by the sprocket |34 independent of the rolls supported by the fixed carriage members 11, 18 but when the carriage members 15, 16 are in their lowermost position will drive rolls |28 and l|33 by reason of gear |31 meshing with gear |41. Ro1l'|33 'is driven from roll |28 through spiral gears |48 and |49 which are mounted respectively upon shafts I6 and I8 and mesh together.

Gear |48 is fixed on shaft ||6 but gear |49 is mounted to slide axially of its shaft ||8 for the purpose of rotatably adjusting roll |33 with relation toroll |28 for the purpose of registering roll |33 with Work which has been formed the planetary gear type and is illustrated inlfigaf. 36 and 37.. A similar change speed mechanism |69 is similarly mounted in bearings |1, |1| xed |63 engages sprockets |58 and y|62 so as to d rivev the shaft |59 continuously at a uniform velocity. A pinion '|64 is fixed to shaft |59. A change speed mechanism |85 is rotatably mounted in v bearings. |66, |61 on frame members 10, 1| `and d has a driving gear |68 which meshes with the pinion |64. This change speed mechanism is of to frame members and 1| respectively, and has a gear 'i 1.2 which also engages pinion |64, the arrangement being such that both change speed mechanisms'are driven at a uniform speed in unisonfrom shaft |59.

Referring to Fig. 36, the change speed mechanism |65 is as follows: A shaft |13 is rotatably mounted in the bearings |66, |61 and has a disc |14 fixed thereto and an internally toothed ring gear is xed to disc |14. A second internally toothed ring gear |16 having a slightly less number of teeth is mounted adjacent to the ring |15 on a planet gear support |11, the planet gear support being rotatably mounted with respect to on the preceding rolls as hereinafter described. V

For this purpose a slot extends diametrically through the shaft I8 and a pin I5I'is xed to gear |49 and extends through the slot. The

-shaft ||8 is bored to receive a coil spring |52 which impinges between the bottom of the bore and the pin and urges the gear to the right in Fig. 15. A rod |53 extends through the bore of the shaft and impinges against the pin |5|. Its outer end is threaded as at |54 to engage similar threadsin the bore of the shaft and a handwheel |55 is fixed to the end of the rod. By rotation the shaft |13 land being journaled thereon and the ring gear- |16 being freely rotatable with f respect to the planet, gear support |11 and being journaled thereon to slide thereabout. The driving gear |68 is an externally toothed'ring gear and is fixed to the ring gear |16. A plurality of planet shafts' |18, |19 are rotatably mountedin bearings formed in the planet gear support parallel to the shaft |13. a planet pinion |80` fixed thereto in position to mesh with both-the ring gears 15 and |16 simultaneously. Each of these planet shafts also has a planet gear |8| fixed thereto in position to mesh with a sun gear |82 having a bearing about and rotatable with respect to the shaft |13. A brake drum |83 is fixed to the sun gear and may be held from rotation by a brake mechanism hereinafter described, when desired. A friction collar |84 is loosely mountedabout the-shaft |13 between the brake drum anda pair of collars |85, |86, one of which is xed and the other of which is slidably mounted on shaft |13 for movement axially of the shaft |13. A coil spring |81 is compressed between the collars |85 and |86 so as to provide a slight braking effect upon the sun gear |82. A brake arm |88 is fixed to a shaft |89 rotatably mounted through frame members 10, 1| and a roller |88aA slidably mounted on thea'rm |88 under tension of a spring |90 engages 'in a notch 9| formed on frame member 1| and acts to hold the arm in a fixed. position.v A pair of driven from any desired source of power but 05 means are preferably provided for driving them in unison or for driving each of them independ-v ently or for varying the speed of each sprocket in order to vary the speed of the respective set of rolls which they control. For this purpose an electric motor |56 is mounted on frame members 10, 1| and has a shaft |51 to which is fixed a sprocket |58. A countershaft |59 is mounted `in bearings |60, 6| on the frame members 10, 1|

brake shoes |92, |93 are also fixed to the shaft rection. The arrangement is such that 'in the normal position ofthe brake shoes out of contact with the brake drum the shaft |13 ofthe speed changing mechanism anda correspondving shaft |94 of the other speed. changing-mechand has a sprocket |62 xed thereto, and a chain 75 anism I69ywill be driven at the same speed, as the sun gear |92 can rotate about the shaft freely under the slight friction exerted by the friction disc |84.

ing mechanisms, the sun gear vthereof will be held stationary or willbe decelerated so that rotation of the pinion bythe ring |16 will cause the planet gear |8| to roll about the sun. gear Each shaft |18, |19 has y But if eitherv brake shoe is pressed against the brake drum of one of the speed chang- |82 thereby causing the shaft, |l13 to rotate at a different angular velocity from that of the gear As will be seen from the operation of the apparatus hereinafter described, one strip of plastic is formed by the rolls supported by the lower or iixed carriage of the machine and another strip of rubber is formed by the rolls carried by the upper or movable carriage of the machine and it is necessary to synchronize the delivery speeds of these sets ofy rolls in order to bring the'two strips into registry. Normally the two sets of rolls will be driven by the mechanism just described at a uniform velocity but by moving the brake arm either set of rolls may be momentarily retarded until the strips are in proper registry whereupon the brake arm assumes itsposition of rest out of contact with the brake drums and the two sets of rolls again operate in unison.` y For driving the two sets of rolls independently, the shaft |13 has a. sprocket 200 lrotatably mounted on the end thereof and engaging the chain |35. It is driven from the shaft |13 through a roller clutch mechanism similar to the coaster brake of a bicycle and comprising a driving member fixed to the shaft |13, a driven member 202 fixed to the sprocket 200 and having flattened clearance portions 203 thereon, rolling elements 204 therebetween, and a locking disc 205 having arms 206 extending'between the rolling elements and also having peripheral notches 201. adapted to be engaged by a locking member. The arrangement is such that when the locking disc 205 is undisturbed the rolling elements 204 will wedge between the driven member and the driving member and the sprocket 200 will be driven at the same speed as the shaft |13. When the rotation of the locking disc 205 is prevented the rolling elements will be moved adjacent a attened portion of the driven member and the yshaft |13 will rotate independent of the sprocket 200. For locking the locking disc 205 a rock shaft 208 is rotatably mounted in one of the fixed frame members of the machine and is provided with an arm 209 fixed thereto and having a roller detent 2| 0 slidably mounted thereon against the pressure of a coil spring 2|! so as to engage in a notched plate- 2|2 also xed to the frame.- A locking arm 2|3 is xed to the shaft 208 in such a position as to engage in one of the notches of the locking disc 205 in one position of the arm 209 and a similar lockin'g arm. 2|4 is fixed to the shaft 208 in a position adjacent to the corresponding locking disc of the other change speed mechanism and is engageable therewith at another position of the arm 209, both ofthe locking arms being out of engagement with their lockingdiscs at an intermediate position. The notched plate 2|2 has three notches and the arm 209 is normally engaged with the intermediate notch so as to permit both rollerclutches to function in driving the forming rolls. But by moving the arm 209 into one of the end positions one of Jthe sets of rollers will be driven and the other set of rollers will remain stationary. By `moving the lever arm 209'further in either direction both locking gears may be engaged to stop both sets of rolls.

The operation of the apparatus of Figs. 10 to 3'? is generally similar to the operation of the simpler apparatus of Figs. 1 to 9 and is as follows:

Plastic material isfed between rolls m,

'.where -air is forced therefrom and follows roll |25 to the surface of roll |26 which it then follows until it is crowded into the pressure chamber between the roll |26, the forming roll |21 and the shoe 243. Here the pressure of the plastic material is increased due to converging space and feed of the plastic and the depressions in roll |21 are filled. Similarly plastic material fed between rolls |3|, |32 passes around rolls |3| and |30 in succession and is fed into a converging space'between rolls |29 and |30 `and shoe 236 where it is forced into the depressions of roll |29. The material deposited in the depressions of roll |29 adheres to roll |28 and passes thereabout where it meets and adheres to the material deposited in the depres- I sions of roll |21 to form a completed strip. The

strip passes 4between roll |28 and roll |33 which may be used to press the material, to emboss it, or to cut it in sections. In such a case, roll |28 acts as a smooth-faced backing roll, whereas roll |33 is engraved and acts as an embossing roll corresponding to the nicking roll 266 of Fig. 20 or 290 of Fig. 24. The finished articles are conveyed away by conveyor 248. synchronize the deposits the lever |88 may be manipulated to slow up or to accelerate one set of rolls with respect to the others and the hand wheel |55 may be adjusted to circumfrentially adjust the roll |33. Either or both of the sets of forming rolls may be stopped by means of the lever 209. Any of the rolls may be removed from their shafts and replaced by' other rolls depending upon the article to be produced.

Referring to Figs. 16 to 19 where it is desired to provide a strip 225 of plastic material of one color having isolated bodies 226 and 221-of plastic material of another color aixedto its face, the plastic material 228 for forming the strip 221 is fed between rolls-|3| and |32 to form a strip of material which follows the roll |3|, a suitable support 229 being provided adjacent the bite of the rolls to support the supply of material. The roll |32 is provided with flanges I32a which engagel over the end faces of the roll |3| and prevent lateral spreading of the plastic material beyond the face of the roll |3|. The rolls |3| and |32 comprise the feed rolls of the lower part of the apparatus. The plastic material traveling about the lroll |3| passes between rolls |30 and 3| and then between the roll |30 which has confining flanges |30a and a pattern roll |29. `The pattern roll has a groove 230 thereabout having ulpstanding pins 23| for forming the perforations of the strip 225.

A shoe 232 having an arcuate surface presented toward the roll |30 is supported by a bar 233 iixed to the carriage members 11, `1|) and by adjusting screws 234, 235 threaded therethrough and engaging cavities in the shoe 232. The plastic material which passes between the rolls |30 and |3| forms a bank between the shoe 232 and the roll |30.- The space between the roll and the shoe is of gradually decreasing dimensions and the drag of the stationary shoe on the plastic material and the decreasing thickness of the space works the plastic material to remove occluded air bubbles and presents the material to the bite between the, rolls 28, 30 under such pressure as to prevent substantial shrinkage of the formed strip.

A combination shoe and scraper 236 is adjustably mountedat the opposite side of the rolls, between the flanges |30a with which it contacts, by a bar 231-Qrpported by the fixed carriage members 11, 18 and is adjustable by means of horizontal screws 238 threaded through In order to` maarre the bar 231 and engaging recesses inthe shoe and vertical screws 239 threaded through the supporting bar 231 and engaging flat spring members 240 fixed tothe shoe 236. The scraper has its edge inclined upwardly from the upper end or toe o f the shoe to engage the surface of the roll |23 and scrapes any excess material from that roll, theexcess material returning around the roll |30 to the bank on the opposite side of the roll by way of a narrowed throat. 236adefined ,by a convex heel 23612 of the shoe and the convex face of the roll |30, thereby eliminating trimmings and returning the plastic for reworking without loss of temperature. The pressure of the material at this throat assists in holding the scraper into contact with roll |23 and its pressure may be controlled by adjustment of the screws 231, 233 to vary the throat space so as to more or less prevent escape of or less distorted and rough on-its exposed surface. When'the scraper is set for slightly excessive pressure, the plastic slightly overlls the cavities, is clean cut and smooth at its edges, and somewhat swollen in its ymiddle portion which projects slightly above the surface of the roll. This is the ideal condition for joining the deposits thus formed to other material by pressure. When the shoeand scraper are set for excessively high pressure, the plastic, using the cavities `as an avenue of escape past the scraper, spurts out at a .speed greater than the speed of travel of the cavities and is of undesired form. The screw 238 may be easily adjusted to produce the desired result by maintaining the desired pressure regardless of the consistency of the plastic.

Good` working contact of the scraper with the roll is maintained at all times by the pressure.

of excess material returning about roll |30 being in excess of the pressure tending to lift the scraper from theroll face and this is assisted by angular disposition of the blade. The at spring 240 is only necessary where the blade is acting against a roll above it when it prevents dropping of the scraper from the roll face.

The ironing plate or shoe 232 is not always necessary but is especially useful where rapid feed of plastic requires wide separation of rolls |3|, |32 in which case the quick passage of material between these rolls prevents working of` the plastic therebetween for sumcient time to force air therefrom. The shoe 232 also assists in confining the plasticat the pressure chamber when rolls |23, |30 are widely separated.

Where the ironing shoe 232 is used its discharge end is adjusted to permit the desired quantity of plastic to escape to supply the Ipressure chamber, and roll |32 is adjusted with relation to roll l|3| to maintain the convergent space between the roll |30 and the shoe full at all times. Adjustment of the' angle of convergence may be made by use of screws 234, 235. A smally angle increases self cleaning whereas a wide angle increases ejection of occluded air and the best angle varies with different compositions. It is desirable to promote self cleaning so that no plastic adheres to the shoe and becomes cooled below the best working temperature. The finished strip travels around the roll |20 and then around the transfer roll |28.

A second bank of plastic material 24| is fed into the bite between the feeding rolls |24, |25 at the top of the apparatus and then about the anged roll |26 into contact with the engraved| roll |21.. This roll has cavities 242 and 242a formed therein for forming the portions'226, 2.21 of the strip respectively. As it is desired to form separated deposits on the face of the roll |21 not requiring great volume feed of plastic, it is unnecessary to provide a shoe such as the shoe 232 on the upper rolls although such a shoe may be employed if desired. A combination shoe and scraper 243 is provided adjacent the engraved roll l|21 and is similar to the shoe-236. It is similarly supported but in a reversed posivtion by a, supporting bar 244 fixed to the movable.

carriage members15, 16 andis adjusted by horizontal screws 245 and vertical screws 246. A fiat spring 241 lis xed to the shoe 243 and not only permitsa tipping of the bar under pressure of the screws 246 but also prevents the scraper bar from dropping from its support upon release of the screws/245. The shoe and scraper 243 not only acts to scrape excess material from the roll |21 but also has an angular face which acts to confine the plastic material between the scraping edge and the bite of the rolls, thereby developing high pressure `of the plastic material at the point where the material passes the scraping edge. f

The deposits of plastic materil in the cavities 242, 242a pass about the roll |21 and are picked up by the strip of material 225 passing about the roll |28. passes 'about the roll |28 and between it and the roll |33 which may be used to press the deposits 242, 242a firmly into engagement with the strip 225. The assembled material then passes from the machine over a conveyor belt 248 and appears as shown in Fig. 18.

In order to form sucha strip as that illustrated inV Fig. 21 where separated deposits of plastic material 250 are to be formed upon one side of a strip 25| of textile material and other separated deposits 252 are to be deposited upon the other face of the strip in registry therewithl and the fabric strip is to be severed along the dotted lines 253 between the separated deposits', the apparatus may be set up as illustrated in Figs. 20 and 23. This comprises an engraved roll 254 which is mounted on-shaft 92 and has cavities 255 in its face corresponding in shape to the desired deposits 250 and another engraved roll 256 having cavities 251 formed in its face and corresponding in dimensions to the plastic del posits 252.

posits of plastic material on its opposite faces.

It then passes around the roll 256 between it and the nicking roll 265. This roll has transverse knife edges 266 formed on its face at spaced i.

The assembled strip of material material of one color has a raised bead 211 of I plastic material of another color applied thereto and the bead is formed to simulate in appearance, a stitching of thread, a plain-faced roll- 218 is mountedon roll shaft ||6. A forming roll 219 is mounted on shaft 92 thereabove and a forming roll 280 is mounted on shaft |06 therebelow. Plastic material for forming the strip 215 is delivered between the plain-faced roll 28| and roll 280 and a stationary shoe 282 corresponding in construction to the shoe 232 previously described. -A combinedshoe and scraper blade 283 is mounted to contact with the face of the roll 280 to confine the plastic material under pressure and remove any excess plastic material and return it to the space between the roll 28| and the shoe 282. 'Ihe roll 280 has a circumferential groove 284 having the contour of the desired strip 216 and the scraper 283 has a straight edge contacting with the face of the roll at each side of the groove. The formed strip 216 passes around roll 280.-'and then `around transfer roll 218.' The plastic material for forming the bead 211 is fed about a plain-faced roll 285 and is comp 'eased between the face of the roll 285, the face of the roll 219 and a cornbined shoe and scraper 286. A scraper blade 281 is mounted on the shoe 286 and engages the yface ofthe rif-ll 219. The roll 219 is formed with a circumferential groove 288 of a semicircular cross section for forming the bead strip 211. The roll is also formed with a circumferential groove 285 having flared margins 289a and-the blade 281 is formed with a tongue 281a of corresponding shape which fits in the groove 289 and keeps the blade and the roll in proper axial alignment.y The formed bead 211 passes around roll 219 and between that roll and the roll 218 is forced into adhesive engagement with the strip 216. The combined strip then passes between the roll 218 and a nicking'roll- 290 which is 'mountedon roll shaft ||8.` The nicking-roll has spaced 'knife edges 29| spaced circumferentially thereabout and adaptedv to impress the bead 211 at spaced intervals 292 without severingitsoas vto further ornament the bead -211 giving it the appearance of looped stitches Iof @6rd,

vA further modification of 'the apparatus is il`- lustrate'd in Fig. 28 where a plain-faced roll 300, a-formi'ngroll 30|, a scraper blade 302, a second forming roll 303, and a second scraper blade 304,-cooperate to form the strip illustrated.- Vin Fig. 29 whereinl a' strip -305 'of plastic material having borders l306 and'301 of :plastic material of Vone color-anda Central overlaid strip3ll8` of nlastic`rnaterial` of another coloris provided. For this purpose the roll `303 is clrcumferentially grooved as'at 309 to form a vsidestrip having knu'rled borders --and a central groove. 'I'he scraper blade 304 has a straight edgefcooperating with' the' surfaceof the roll' andl contacting with the face of the roll only beyond the knurled borders*l of l'the groove. The base'strip of plastic liU material 3|0 passes about roll 300 and the strip 308 of plastic material of another color is pressed in contact therewith by the roll 30|. For forming the strip 308, the roll 30| is provided With a pair of circumferential flanges 3||, 3|2 defining a groove therebetween in which the strip 308 is formed. The flanges have sharp edges and their faces away from the forming groovel are inclined as at 3| la, 3|2a to engage a. notch 302a in the scraper blade 302, the notch being tapered at its edges to contact with the inclined faces of the flanges for the purpose of keeping the scraper blade and the roll in axial alignment and for assuring removal of excess plastic material at the margins of the strip, the arrangement being such that the scraper blade and the annular ribs are substantially self-sharpening or self-adjusting with relation to each other. Where it is desired to form fine threads of plastic material, a plain-faced roll- 325 and a scraper blade 326 having rectangular' notches 321 in its roll contacting face may be employed as shown in Fig. 30. The plastic material being cleanly scraped/from the roll except where the notches 321 off/the blade occur and the plastic material being extruded through the notches 321 and following the roll 325 from which they may be removed by a conveyor belt, not shown. 'I'his form of the invention requires no special rolls and the .control of pressure afforded by regulation of the pressure chamber produces a better article than is possible with a lscrew feed extruder. l

A similar arrangement is shown in Fig. 31 for forming plastic threads of round cross section. For this purpose a roll 328 has a plurality of half-round grooves 328a formed circumferentially in its face and a scraper blade 32'9 is pr- Vided with half-round notches 330 corresponding in spacing to the grooves 328e. Angular wings 33|, 332 of the scraper blade engage chamfered margins 333, 334 of the roll to hold the scraper and the roll in proper axial alignment so as to align the grooves 330 with the grooves 328a. Plastic material fed between the-.ro1l and the scraper blade will be extruded through `the round, `openings existingbetween the blade and the roll face and the rubber threads of round cross section so formed will travel about the roll 328 and maybe conveyed away by a conveyor belt not shown.

It is also possible with the apparatus to form threads of more complicated cross section and this may bedone on a plain-faced roll 340 as shown in Fig. 32 by providing a scraper .blade 34| having a straight edge for engaging the face of the roll 340 and having apertures-342 `through the-blade baclr of its roll contacting-edge for extrudingl-such threads. Inusing this modifica--y tion of the. apparatus the plastic material `is fed between roll 340 vand anotherplainfaced roll, not shownfand the scraper blade 34| -`.Where the plastic material is compacted into a `space of vde creasing areaas hereinbefore described and d ue to the pressure of the plasticmaterialit is ex truded through the openings 342 and the plastic adjustable return of excess plastic. .provides a superior product. u V

In, forming the strips illustrated in `Figs..34 and 35 in which a base strip 350' of plastic material of one color and of generally Wedge-shaped 'crosssectiom is provided withspaced cross ribs same'manner as the rolls can'ied by the shafts 35| of plastic material of another color. `A roll 352 is provided having-spacedindentations 353 in its face thereby providing cavities -in which the ribs 35| of plastic material may be formed. This roll is rotated past scraper blade 354 having a wedge-shaped notch 3 55 in its roll conl sa, a2, ne, and los, respectively, er the appa-- tacting edge. The plastic material for forming the strip 350 is -fed between the blade 354 and the roll 352 and is extruded through the notch 355 and at the same time the bars of plastic material of VVa different color located in the cavi ties 353 of the roll 352 are united withthe strip 350 as that strip is formed at the notch 355 and the composite strip passes about the roll 352 toa conveyor, not shown, which'removes it from the roll.

It is also possible to employ the .apparatus for manufacturing disconnected relatively flat arti-Y.

cles of plastic material. For this purpose the modification -illustrated in Fig. 38 may be used. This apparatus comprises a pair of cooperating feeding rolls 400, 40| between which a bank of plastic material 402 is fed, The plastic material passes around roll 40| to a plain-faced roll 403. A roll 404 of larger diameter has cavities 405 formed in its face and is mounted to cooperate with roll 403. A shoe 406 is mounted on a bracket 401 for adjustment with relation to rolls 403, 404 and has a scraper blade 408 which contacts with the face of roll 404. Ashoe 406 is of the type previously described and has an inclined arcuateface 406a which with the roll403 and the blade 408 coniines the plastic material in a spaceh of gradually decreasing area and forces it into the cavities 405, the blade 4 00 removing any excess material which passes around 409, 4|0, which correspond to similar adjustmentspreviously described, the pressure of the plastic material may be nicely adiusted so that cavities 405 are well lled with dense plastic material. It is desirable to at least partially vulcanize the plastic larticles in order to hold their may be provided, the belt 4 I3 beingA trained about l the rollers and providing a reentrant loop between rollers 4|4 and 4|5 which engages a portion of the belt 4|2. Suitable tension springs 4|8 and adjusting screws 4|9 may be provided ratus of Fig. 10.

For cleaning the cavities of the roll 444 a ro- `I tary brush 430 may be mounted to contact with the face of the roll 404 and is rotated at a higher surface speed thanl that of the roll so as to re ybe sprayed onto the face of the cavities by means of the jet 43|. y

In any of the forms of the invention control of temperature of the forming rolls, shoes, and v scraper blades is desirable and this may be accomplished by providing for cculation of heating and. cooling fluids through the rolls by means of rotatable connections on the roll necks as is customary in the use of` calendering machinery used in handling unvulcanized rubber and other plastic materials.

In all forms of the invention alquantity of plastic material is 'maintained under high pressure and cavities are filled therefrom while the pressure is regulated by adjustment of flow of excess plastic from the conning space `at the pressure zone. t

Variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as it is dened by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for forming an article of plastic but distortion-resisting rubber-like material directly to iinal surface shape, said apparatus com.-

. the roll 403. By means of the adjusting screws prising a rotatable forming surface having a depression therein defining a surface of the desired article, apair of feed rolls for feeding the plastic material thereto, said rolls and rotatable surface having cooperating endvflange means for confining the plastic material laterally, and a member between thevange means cooperating with said I end flange means and with-said surface and one of said feed rolls to compact and conne plastic material against the forming surface to ll said depression. l

2. Apparatusfor forming an article of plastic but distortion-resisting rubber-like material di rectlyto final surface shape, said apparatus comprising a rotatable forming surface, a member stationary during operation and adjustable with relation to sa`id forming surface cooperating therewith to form a strip of plastic material, a

is supported -by the rollers 4I4, 4|5 and the reentrant loop of the belt 4| 3, and inaddition, is supported by idle rollers 420, 42|, 422 and 423. y

A hollow heating shoe 426 of arcuate form is positioned about the reentrant loops of the belts 4|2, 4|3 where they engage the face of the roll 405 and is provided with steam connections for further supplying heat to vulcanize the articles. The finished articles 421 adhere' slightly to the belt j4|2 and are conveyed thereby from the roll 405, a scraper 420 being provided for separating the articles from the face of the belt.

It is to be understood that the rolls 400, 40|, 403 and 404 may be m'ounted and driven in the rotatable transfer surface, and rotatable means cooperating with said rotatable transfer surface for progressively embossing said strip.

3. Apparatus'for forming an article of plastic but distortion-resisting rubber-like material directly to iinal surface shape, said apparatus comprising a rotatable forming surface, a member therewith to forma strip of plastic material, a

rotatable transfer surface, an embossing roll adapted to engage the surface of said strip as the strip is supported by said rotatable transfer surface, and means for angularly advancing and retarding the embossing roll with relation to said rotatable transfer surface.

4. The method of forming an article` of plastic but distortion-resisting rubber-like material directly to final surface shape, which comprises Aforming; one portion of the article progressively by continuously` forming disconnected deposits of the plastic material in cavities in the surface of a rotatable forming member, forming acontinuous strip of plastic material in a. circumferential groove of a secondrotatable forming member, and uniting said deposits progressively so as to adhere the disconnectedv deposits toesaid strip.

5. Apparatus for forming an article of plastic but distortion-resistingnibber-like material directly to final surface shape, said apparatus comprising a rotatable article-shaping surface having a surface depression of final article shape, means for progressively filling said depression'with the plastic material to provide an article part, means for removing excess material from the shaping surface, a second rotatable article-shaping surface having a surface depression of iinal article shape, means for progressively filling the depres- .sion in the 'second shaping surface with the plastic material to provide another article part, and means for progressively theparts so 'formed whileat least one of the parts is located in its shaping depression.

6. Apparatus for forming an article of plastic but distortion-resisting rubber-likematerial directly to-nal surface shape, said apparatus comprising a rotatable article-shaping surface having assaiv for filling the depression in the second shaping surface with' plastic material to provide another article part, means for progressively uniting the parts so formed while at least one of said parts 'is located in its shapingdepression, and means for rotating said rotatable surfaces, said lastnamed means comprising means for selectively rotating saidvsurfaces to bring the article parts into registry with each other.

7.*ADP8'ratus for forming an article of plastic but distortion-resisting rubber-like material div rectlyvto nal clean-cut shape, said apparatus a surface depression of final article shape, means for progressively filling said depression with the plastic material to provide an article part, a second rotatable article-shaping surface having a v` Y vsurface depression o f iinalarticle shape. meansV comprising a forming roll having a surface depression of final article shape,- a pressure roll cooperating therewith to flll the surface depression, a feeding roll cooperating with said press ure roll to feed plastic material to a bite between said forming roll and said pressure roll, a. roll end flange at each end of the bite on one of said forming and pressure rolls and engagingthe ends of the other of said rolls, to. conne the plastic material laterally, means for controlling 

